


Before You

by TimelessWriting



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Pining, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 09:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13187088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimelessWriting/pseuds/TimelessWriting
Summary: These emotions were too much to handle. Everything had been so much easier before HIM.





	Before You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my secret santa fic for Romi! You asked for aged up AU, fire emblem AU, or kemonomimi! I wasn't sure how to write the last two, so I tried my hand at an aged up AU where they didn't meet until uni! Sorry if this isn't what you meant by that... sorry I posted it late too hsdvfgjkhelkdf I hope you like it regardless though!
> 
> For anyone who is curious, Haruna is going into physical therapy and Akimaru is aiming to become a nurse!

“I was happier before I met you.”

The confession was abrupt, cutting through the air and leaving Haruna gaping at Akimaru. The two of them were sitting in their university cafeteria, and had been eating their lunches in relative peace before he had blurted that out.

“I… _what?_ ” Haruna managed to get out, staring at his friend with a look of mild offense. He had absolutely no idea where any of that came from, and frankly was kind of hurt. He had thought they had been getting along perfectly since they were forced to become roommates during their first year of uni.

Akimaru didn’t seem to notice his offense, or at least was too caught up in his own frustration to care enough to address it.

“Lately I just can’t stop thinking about you! You won’t leave my thoughts alone! We do so much stuff together despite me being busy with my premed courses and I don’t even know how I make that work! I have zero free time yet somehow I manage to spend it all with you! You’re insufferable and exasperating sometimes and make me want to die but I still manage to have the most fun I’ve ever had in my life when I’m with you!

“Your stupid grin makes me feel weird, and I don’t understand why I like you so much! It’s frustrating and I wish I didn’t know you so I wouldn’t have to put up with this!” He was out of breath, letting out a sigh and allowing his head to drop against the table with a muffled, “I’m tired.”

Haruna himself… wasn’t sure how to process all of this and continued to just stare at his friend with wide eyes. He knew Akimaru was stressed and exhausted, but he hadn’t exacted _this_ kind of breakdown.

“Is this… are you _confessing_ to me?”

Akimaru jerked back upright that and spluttered out a hurried, “N-no!” before pausing and continuing, albeit more confused and uncertain. “No?”

Haruna continued to stare at him, and Akimaru shifted in his seat, visibly uncomfortable. “Maybe? I don’t know! I just know I’m tired from studying nonstop this past week, and thinking about you keeps distracting me.”

They sat in silence for a little while, neither one really sure how to handle the situation. Akimaru sunk lower into his seat, and suddenly he seemed to find his food extremely interesting. Haruna seemed to just be processing what had just happened, and was the one to break the silence with an awkward cough.

“Well…” He trailed of, catching Akimaru’s attention. “We’re probably both stressed from finals starting tomorrow so… Why don’t we finish that first so you can have time to think…? About what all… _that_ meant.”

* * *

 Predictably enough, Akimaru did _not_ bring his pseudo-confession up after finals, and actually actively avoided Haruna for as long as he could (aka until Haruna got annoyed by it and forced them into the same proximity). So now here they were, sitting all alone in Haruna’s apartment.

“How’d you do on finals?” Akimaru gratefully accepted the tea Haruna offered him, a welcome distraction from his nervous jitters. He had long ago passed through the denial phase of his crush on Haruna–well, as long as 2 weeks ago could be considered–and had eventually accepted that he liked his mess of a best friend. Accepting that didn’t make it any less embarrassing or nerve-wracking though, and as much as he appreciated Haruna’s small talk… He felt it was only going to make the knot in his stomach get worse as he anticipated the inevitable question of his crush.

He shrugged, taking a sip of his tea and holding back a yelp when he burned his tongue.

“I did alright, I guess. I passed them all somehow. How were yours?”

Haruna leaned back in his chair with a dramatic sigh, throwing his arm over the chair next to him and leveling Akimaru with a dead stare. Akimaru couldn’t help but stifle a laugh behind his mug at the reaction.

“I wanted to _die_ ,” Haruna groaned. “I don’t know how, but I studied almost everything that _wasn’t_ on the test. I pulled it off somehow, but I seriously thought I was going to die.”

“Well, at least we both pulled through and won’t have to retake any of our classes because we failed,” Akimaru suggested unhelpfully, a grin tugging at the edges of his mouth. Just like usual, Haruna never failed to coax a smile from him (no matter how annoyingly dense and infuriatingly stubborn he could get sometimes), and Akimaru could feel his nervousness slowly fading away as the knot in his stomach loosened. Their small talk kept him distracted and amused, and any fears he had of it making him feel worse came out to nothing.

That feeling was effectively nipped in the bud the moment Haruna opened his mouth to change the topic to Akimaru’s rant from a couple weeks earlier. His uneasiness came back full force, and a lump in his throat seemed to form on the spot. His eyes got shifty, and suddenly his hands seemed to want to crack the rapidly cooling mug he was holding.

“Ah… about that…” His mouth felt dry, like he had shoved a fistful of cotton balls in his mouth. He could’ve sworn the taste in his mouth went sour too, tasting of plastic like that one time he shoved an entire handful of swedish fish in his mouth at once. Overall, it was a pretty shit experience.

Haruna was staring at him expectantly, and he felt every single word he could possibly think of die in his throat. All he could manage was a croaky, “I… yeah…” before ducking his head down and desperately trying to hide behind his cup. Maybe if he pretended there was still tea in it, he could cover his humiliated face better?

Haruna perked up, his eyes hopeful. He reached across the table and gripped Akimaru’s hands in his, letting go only long enough to move the mug. His laughter was light and full of relief, the grin on his face spreading wide.

“Oh, man! You had me so worried! If you had said no… I don’t know what I’d have done. I was so sure you were going to say yes that I’m not sure my crush on you would have been able to take it if you hadn’t…” He grinned at the stunned blonde in front of him, faltering only when he failed to respond to him. “Akimaru…?”

Akimaru blinked back up to him and focused again, gaping and demanding in bafflement, “You _liked_ me?”

Now it was Haruna’s turn to look at him in confusion.

“Yeah? I just said I did? Did you think I kept buying you things and taking you out on dates for the hell of it? I’ve liked you since we were roommates! I’ve been trying to hit on you for three years!”

“ _What?_ ”

The two of each other just stared at each other in disbelief, neither one understanding the other’s confusion. How was Akimaru so surprised to find out Haruna liked him? How was Haruna so surprised that Akimaru didn’t _know?_

Eventually Haruna simply sighed and brought their clasped hands up to his forehead in defeat, eyes closed. He held the position for a moment before letting their hands drop and his eyes open, giving Akimaru another smile.

“Well… At least we both know now. And I can finally call you my boyfriend.”

Akimaru flushed at the title and had to force himself from sinking further down into his seat. Why was Haruna so embarrassing…

“Yeah… I guess you can.”

**Author's Note:**

> Haruna is too smooth in this LMAO what happened to my mess of a boy...


End file.
